Learn the Australian & New Zealand Accents

(106.8MB, 111 minutes) 2011 Edition

This download includes a written examination of how to learn New Zealand and Australian accents, and the following sound files featuring Accent Help coach Jim Johnson:

Play Audio Sample:

1. Introduction to Sound Placement, Intonation, and Helpful Hints (6:50)
2. Consonant sound changes for learning Australian and New Zealand accents (16:47)
3. Vowel changes in Aussie and Kiwi accents (18:31)
4. changes in Diphthongs for New Zealand and Australian accents (5:48)
5. Alternate Pronunciations for words in both accents (2:06)
6. Wrap up to learning Australian and New Zealand accents (:55)
7. Melbourne Australia Male reading (1:40)
8. + his conversation (3:14)
9. Melbourne Australia Female reading (1:00)
10. + her conversation (1:19)
11. Perth Australia Female reading (:53)
12. + her conversation (1:13)
13. Geraldton Australia Male reading (1:12)
14. + his conversation (3:45)
15. New South Wales Australia Female reading (1:40)
16. + her conversation (3:32)
17. Eastern Aussie Male reading (1:31)
18. + his conversation (4:46)
19. Female Australian Student reading (1:16)
20. + her conversation (3:45)
21. Australian Female reading (1:02)
22. + her conversation (4:25)
23. Dunedin New Zealand Male reading (:58)
24. + his conversation (2:47)
25. 2nd Dunedin Male reading (1:13)
26. + his conversation (1:43)
27. Christchurch New Zealand Female reading (1:27)
28. + her conversation (3:49)
29. Christchurch NZ wife reading (1:21)
30. Christchurch NZ husband reading (1:23)
31. + their conversation (9:10)

The Australian and New Zealand accents have a great deal in common, so they're grouped together in a single download with lots of extra dialect recordings for you to listen to the distinctions.  The accents are quite influenced by Received Pronunciation, Cockney, and many other accents of England.  Australian accents are usually subdivided into the categories of broad, general, and cultivated, with broad representing the strong, "bush" accent that many people are used to hearing in films such as Crocodile Dundee.  Australian accents are fairly similar across the country - surprising for such a large country - but there are some variations which will be apparent in the included recordings.  Most New Zealand Kiwi's have a shared accent as well.  (This download focuses on the more standard NZ sound, rather than the less-common "Southland Burr" accent.)  

These accents are all non-rhotic, meaning that the R's after a vowel sound are dropped, much like many other British accents, and many American accents, such as the classic American accent, Cajun, New Orleans Yat, and northeastern varieties, such as the accents in and near New York City, urban Philadelphia and Boston accents, and the "Downeast" New England accents around Maine.

Though these sound files have been remastered to reduce background noise, most of these recordings are made "in the field" so you will hear such things as birds, cars or other people in the background.  A transcription of the conversations is included to help you follow along.  This download also contains four versions of the written materials:  A printer-friendly pdf, a pdf that is in a larger format for use on a portable reading device, and both mobi and epub editions for other portable readers.